A Discovery Dialogue on Climate Policy and Practice, 31. 05. 2017, Brussels

Green Sessions “From Policy to Practice”
About EU-China Cooperation on Climate Actions and Green-Circular Economy”

 Partner Event of EU Green Week 2017 

 Brussels Roundtable Dialogue, 13:00-17:30, 31. 05. 2017.   #Green_Sess

Location: EU Infopoint,  Rue Archimède 1 (1st floor), 1000 Brussels, Belgium

After the COP21 Agreement in Paris and COP22 in Marrakesh, global climate actions are at crossroads. Various global regions face simultaneously acute challenges, incl. climate, safety, economy, environment (energy, water, marine, forests, bio diversity, air, soil, food), migration, youth etc. There is an urgent need for effective dialogues to improve solution communication between the players and implementation practical actions on the ground.

Initiated by a number of highlevel professionals, the Green Sessions “From Policy to Practice” are designed as open, pragmatic and interactive workshops to accelerate understanding of gaps and synergies between Policy and Practice with multiple actors, also called “The Breakout Events”, to foster understanding of related global and inter-regional Policy for climate action, green-circular economies. They shall also discover Practice methods and local policies through Reality Cases from various places, regions and territories, which work in the daily economy. These include Investment-Business Models, Technology and Market Chains, Smart Urban-Rural Development, Nature-Heritage solutions etc. to inspire policy tools and upscale green-circular economic models of many Local Places around the World.

Presentations and outcome about Policy and Practice of the Green Sessions will be collected, summarized and made available to the public for use in the daily life, as common practice knowledge source to “recycle data and foster understanding” and help climate-environmental actions around the world in a “simultaneous open growth”.

In the preparing process, the initiative consulted with the Commission for Environment, Climate change and Energy (ENVE) of the European Commigee of Regions and other EU institutions.

As Partner Event of EU Green Week 2017 in Brussels, taking place shortly before the EU-China high level dialogue on various topics including climate cooperation, the first Green Session brings together a wide range of actors on 31 May 2017 in the European quarter of Brussels, the EU capital. The half-day dialogue aims at a discovery discussion on aspects of global climate mandates and platforms and related EU-China approaches and instruments.

Cities and rural areas are always in the frontier of policy challenges and actions. Besides the Global / European Covenant of Mayors and International Urban Cooperation, local and regional practices with real-life cases from EU and China shall be highlighted. Taking some big cities as example, EU metropolis like Paris, Copenhagen and Brussels established car-free city centers and urban circular management systems with vigorous policy plans. While Chengdu developed its pioneering greenhouse gas inventory and low-carbon action plan in China, Shanghai’s “renaturing plans” of Huangpu Riverside public spaces in recent years compares well with Nature-based Solutions in European cities and regions.

EU and Chinese governments are actively expanding social-economic-cultural interactions and increasing bilateral and international knowledge sharing. Their recently inaugurated joint efforts on carbon emission accountability shall attract more societal and economic exchanges on climate actions and green finance. Along the way, new models of public-private partnerships could trigger area livability, enhance scope and structure of “bankable” sustainable project initiatives.

The distinguished speakers and panelists come from UN Environment, European Commission DG Clima, DG RTD, European Parliament, EU Committee of Regions, European Investment Bank, College of Europe, Sichuan University, European Banking Federation, the Brussels-Capital Region (an example from local government), Clean Air Asia network and Natureherit, the main initiator of Green Sessions and a sustainable planning practitioner.